FACILITIES FOR FEEDING HOLSTEIN AND BEEF CATTLE

FACILITIES FOR FEEDING HOLSTEIN AND BEEF CATTLE Steven Rust Department of Animal Science Michigan State University Lansing, MI Adverse climatic conditions impose additional restrictions and requirements on cattle. Since cattle are homeotherms, energy must be expended to maintain body temperature within a defined range (NRC, 1981; Figure 1). This range is called the thermoneutral zone. As external temperature increase or decrease outside of this range, the metabolic machinery must expend energy to maintain body temperature. Consequently, more energy is needed for maintenance and less is available for productive purposed. For growing-finishing cattle, this translates into less gain. As environmental temperatures decrease below the thermoneutral zone, the animal must generate more body heat to survive. This is accomplished by increasing dry matter intake and cellular metabolism. However, extremely cold conditions may cause a cessation of intake. As temperatures elevate above the uppermost portion of the thermoneutral zone, an animal must dissipate excess body heat. Dry matter intake and cellular activity will decrease. Figure 2 demonstrates the effects of temperature on dry matter intake. Notice the behavioral shift that can occur under extremely cold conditions. Unfavorable pen conditions such as excessive mud or frozen clods can severely impact behavior patterns and intake. Given the opportunity, cattle will seek relief from adverse conditions by moving to sheltered areas or shade. The thermoneutral zone can shift to lower or higher temperatures with adequate adaptation. Maintenance requirements at 15 F will be 10% lower for an animal adapted to 15 F than at 33 F. In addition, wind, moisture, and muddy conditions can also increase maintenance requirements. In the final analysis, the animal regulates intake and metabolism to adjust to changing climatic conditions, however, there are limits. Severe environmental stresses result in lowered weight gain. The examples in Table 1 indicate the importance of temperature adaptation, shelter from the wind and dry conditions. For yearling steers and calves, maintenance requirements and dry matter consumption increase as the ambient temperature decreases. For example, a yearling steer at 15 F needs 14 lb of DM per day to meet maintenance requirements. As temperature decreases to 0 F, maintenance requirements increase, so the steer eats an additional 2 lb of DM (16 lb/d). At -30 F, the steer needs to consume 20 lb of DM to maintain body weight; however, that level of intake exceeds the physical capacity of the digestive system. Consequently, the steer loses or gains less weight depending on the caloric density of the diet. Providing shelter and dry lot conditions will lessen many of the stresses associated with climate. Cattle have the ability to acclimate and withstand cold temperature; however, the rapid changes in temperature, wind, and moisture conditions

Mcal Intake COLD Gain Lower Critical Temperature -------------------------------------------------- THERMONEUTRAL ZONE Upper Critical Temperature ------------------------------------------------------- EFFECTIVE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE Maintenance HOT Figure 1. Schematic Drawing Indicating Effect of Temperature on Rate of Intake, Maintenance Energy Requirement, Energy Stored as Product (Adapted from NRC, 1981). 125 FEED INTAKE (% OF INTAKE AT 18-20 C) 100 7 5 50 B--- - -20-10 0 10 20 30 40 TEMPERATURE ( C) Figure 2. Estimated changes in dry matter intake of feedlot cattle on a ration with 70 % apparent digestibility B indicated behavioral changes.

can have devastating effects. Construction of feedlots and housing should be designed to alleviate the stressful conditions associated with wind and moisture. Careful consideration should balance the expected benefits against the cost of the facility. There are many cost-effective methods to provide these needs without elaborate building construction. The most important concept to consider in construction of a feedlot is site selection and preparation. Select a site which has a well drained soil and minimal adverse environmental impacts. The proper use of windbreaks, mounds, and diversion ditches will greatly enhance cattle performance in outside lots. For undercapitalized producers, construction of outside lots may be more economical. However, adequate containment will be necessary to control potential runoff that would occur from the worst storm that has occurred during a 24 hour period within the last 25 years. In Michigan, the cost of runoff containment can approach the construction cost of new animal facilities. For more details on construction and design of feedlots, refer to the Midwest Plan Service booklet entitled Beef Housing and Equipment Handbook (MWPS-6) which can be obtained from your local Cooperative Extension Service. A comparison of costs, cattle density, and convenience factors for four common types of feedlot facilities is shown in Table 2. Confinement facilities will improve the efficiency of feed conversion into tissue growth; however, the economics should be carefully considered. For instance, a Minnesota study (Smith et. al., 1981) conducted over seven years compared five housing systems on cattle performance and profitability. The five housing systems were: 1) open lot open lot with fenceline bunks, mounds, and a windbreak; 2) manure scrape pole barn with manure scrape alley near feed bunk and a manure pack under roof; 3) conventional pole barn with concrete outside lot and manure pack; 4) cold confinement slot pole barn with slotted floor; and 5) warm confinement slot enclosed, insulated building with slotted floor. Cattle in the manure scrape facility gained more weight than cattle in the open or conventional housing system (P <.05). Dry matter intake was similar for cattle housed in the five facilities. Cattle in the open lots required the most feed per unit of gain, whereas cattle fed in the manure scrape facility were the most efficient (Table 3). Cattle in the three confinement barns had larger ribeye areas and more finish at a given final weight than cattle in the open lot or conventional facility. An economic analysis of the returns for each facility is shown in Table 4. Non-feed costs and total costs were lower for the open lot facility. Feed costs were lowest for the slotted floor facilities. The data clearly suggests that economic returns from the open lot system are superior to the other systems. However, depending on site location, runoff containment may negate the economic benefits of open lot systems. Environmental regulations and local concerns may determine the type of livestock facility that is built. It is advantageous for producers entering into a cattle feeding enterprise to consider low cost facilities until sufficient capital and experience is accumulated to reduce the risk of large deficits in cash flow or lease agreements on existing, unused facilities. Additionally, a low capital investment would allow more flexibility in deciding whether to feed cattle with current market conditions.

Assuming the other variable costs are fixed, corn price ($/bu) would have to be 11.29, 4.22, 3.58, and 13.54 for the conventional, manure scrape, cold slot, and warm slot, respectively, to be competitive with the open lot under the conditions used in this analysis. Again, this analysis did not include costs for runoff containment from the worst 24 hour rain event in the past 25 years. It is important to remember, these projections assume the lots are full 365 days of the year. Empty facilities would favor the construction of less capital intensive systems. Other factors which impact the decision to build housing include convenience, finished animal value and environmental concerns. More extensive housing facilities require less labor (Table 4) and the ease of cattle handling is increased. For many producers with accumulated capital, this consideration is sufficient reason to build confinement livestock facilities. Cattlemen with cold confinement, slotted floor facilities report a $.50/cwt premium for cattle finished in those facilities. This would provide an additional increase of $8.25 per unit of feedlot capacity, which would reduce the non-feed and the total cost of production by $1.00/cwt. Management from various slaughter plants routinely report increased dressing percents for cattle finished on slotted floors. In support of this claim, the Minnesota studies reported increased yield of trimmed lean cuts (yield grade, Table 3) with the manure scrape or slotted floor facilities. This additional value would make the cold confinement slotted floor facilities the most profitable system. A blend of the two housing systems has been very popular in Michigan. Cattle are fed in open lots or partially covered lots until the last 60-90 days, at which time the cattle are moved onto slotted floors. Holstein cattle are not well adapted to slotted floor facilities and cattlemen feeding Holsteins should consider the other alternative housing systems. Environmental impacts such as odor and surface runoff should be carefully considered in the decision of facility construction. Proper site selection is extremely important. Several experiment station reports have compared open lots versus cold confinement units with slotted floors (Table 5). During the winter months at each of the four locations, cattle fed in the slotted floor facilities consumed less feed and were more efficient than cattle in open lots. The difference in performance between the two facilities is much less during the summer months. Clearly, the more adverse the winter conditions, the more favorable closeouts will be for cattle housed in a confinement facility; however, during hot weather, slotted floor facilities appear to decrease performance slightly. Summary many issues must be considered in the decision to build facilities. The data presented indicates advantages in cattle performance for slotted floor confinement; however, total costs of gain favor facilities with less capital expenditure. Feedlot operations with intentions to utilize and depreciate facilities over 10-20 years should consider a portion of capacity as slotted floor.

References Farlin, S.D. 1974. Beef confinement vs. open lot feeding. 1974 Nebraska Beef Cattle Rep. EC 74-218:13. NRC. 1981. EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENT ON NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. Sewell, H.B. 1988. Performance of steers fed in outside lots compared to those fed inside on slatted floors. Univ. Missouri 1988 Beef Cattle Rep. 116:67-73. Smith, R.E., H.E. Hanke,, L.K. Lindor, D.D. Goodrich, and J.C. Meiske. 1981. Performance of steer calves fed in various housing systems A seven-year summary (1970-1976). 1981 Minnesota Cattle Feeder s Rep. B-273:41-43. Standorf, D., k. Metz, and S.R. Rust. 2001. Comparison of facility type and time on feed on growth and carcass characteristics of growing-finishing steers. Mich. State Univ. Beef Cattle, Sheep Forage res. Dem. Rep. 575:54-59. Vetter, R.L., M.R. Geasler, E. Mobley, G. Frankl, and R. Lorenzen. 1971. Feedlot performance and production costs of cattle fed on slotted-floor-cold-confinement vs. outside mounded lots. Iowa State Univ.Beef Cattle Res. A.S. R150. Table 1. Effects of temperature, wind and moisture on energy requirements and lower critical temperature for growing-finishing cattle. Ambient temperature, F Condition Lower critical temperature, F 15 0-30 Yearling steer, 650 lb gaining 2.0 lb/d Corn silage intake (DMB) Needed to gain 2 lb/d Dry, low wind -29 14 14 14 Wet snow, mud, 10 mph 15 14 16 20 wind Calf, 220 lb gaining 1.1 lb/d Dry. Low wind 0 9 9 10 Wet snow, mud, 10 mph wind 50 12 13 16

Table 2. Comparison of various types of feedlot facilities Capital Cattle Requirement Density, ($/unit of ft 2 /animal capacity) Frequency of manure handling Convenience a Flexibility b Outside lots, fenceline feedbunks, concrete apron, mounds and windbreaks 125-200 200-400 Seldom Poor High Concrete lots with partial shelter 20 inside 30 outside Often Good Medium 200-275 Cold confinement, concrete floor 275-350 30-40 Often Good Low Cold confinement, slotted floor 375-450 17-22 Seldom Excellent Low a Convenience refers to ease of cleaning, cattle movement, etc. b Flexibility refers to option to utilize facilities at any given time based on current markets Table 3. Performance of Steer Calves Fed in Various Housing Systems Housing system Item Conventional Manure scrape Cold slot Warm slot Open lot No. of steers 536 403 451 682 328 No. of pens 14 14 14 14 11 Initial wt, lb 438 440 442 436 444 Final wt, lb 1015 1042 1033 1029 1016 Daily gain, lb 2.44 a 2.54 b 2.48 ab 2.49 ab 2.41 a Dry matter intake, lb/d 15.07 15.20 15.11 15.09 15.25 Feed/100 lb gain,lb DM 618 b 599 c 609 bc 606 bc 633 a Carcass characteristics Marbling score SL+ SL+ SL+ SL+ Sm KHP, % 2.98 a 3.03 ab 3.11 b 3.09 b 2.96 a Ribeye area, sq. in. 11.5 b 11.3 a 11.5 b 11.5 b 11.2 a Fat depth, in..61 a.67 ab.66 b.68 b.59 a Quality grade SE+ SE+ SE+ SE+ SE+ Yield grade 3.4 a 3.6 b 3.6 b 3.6 b 3.4 a abc Means in a row with different superscripts differ (P <.05).

Table 4. Economic comparison of the five housing systems in the Minnesota studies. Housing system 300 Head Open Lot Manure Conventional Cold Slot Warm Slot Capacity Scrape Head Fed 438 465 444 450 459 Annually 1 Labor, hours/head 2.30 2.39 2.40 2.12 2.12 Capital, $/head capacity Lot and shelter $107.33 $220.83 $193.33 $316.67 $470.00 Waste handling 31.15 9.45 26.81 24.26 24.26 Feed storage & 146.30 146.30 146.30 146.30 146.30 handling Total $284.78 $376.58 $366.44 $487.23 $640.56 Cost, $/100 lb. gain Facilities @ $9.10 $11.34 $11.55 $15.16 $19.54 25.5% ann 2 Labor @ 5.00/hr 1.92 2.00 2.00 1.75 1.75 Bedding 3 3.99 4.82 4.45 0 0 Interest on 5.82 5.48 5.74 5.67 5.56 animal 4 Insurance and.46.46.46.46 1.40 utilities Veterinary and 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 medicine Death loss 5.54.54.54.54.54 Trucking 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 Non-feed Total $26.08 $28.89 $28.99 $27.83 $33.04 Feed cost 6 25.32 23.96 24.72 24.36 24.24 Total $51.40 $52.85 $53.71 $52.19 $57.28 Total Capital $80,283 $102,375 $100,653 $130,968 $169,609 Investment Total Labor 1,007 1,111 1,066 954 973 Required (hrs) 1 Based on 5 yr average daily gains, in Minn. research, 600 lb. gain, (1.46, 1.55, 1.48, 1.50, 1.53 turnovers annually in open lot, manure scrape, conventional, cold slot, warm slot, respectively). 2 (Depreciation, 10.00%; Interest, 12%; Repairs, 5.0%; Taxes,.5%; Insurance,.5%) x initial capital investment turnovers/yr. 6 cwt. 3 Bedding @ $85/ton 4 Interest, 12% annual, $425.00 purchase price, (250, 235, 247, 243, 239 days for open lot, manure scrape, conventional, cold slot and warm slot, respectively). 5 Death loss calculated at % of initial cost. 6 Feed Costs: HM corn @.04/lb., corn silage @.025/lb., supplement @ $.11/lb. total ration cost, $80.00/ton of dry matter.

Table 5. Comparison of cattle performance in outside lots versus cold confinement slotted floor facilities during winter and summer. Open lot Slotted floor Summer Winter Summer Winter Iowa (Vetter, et.al. 1971) No. of cattle 1313 1438 1254 1035 Days on feed 117 104 117 104 ADG, lb 2.96 2.51 2.88 2.60 DMI, lb/d 21.5 23.0 20.0 20.5 Feed/gain 7.31 10.40 6.97 8.38 Dressing percent 62.5 63.0 62.9 63.4 Yield grade 2.35 2.37 2.52 2.31 Feed cost/cwt, $ 19.16 26.49 18.19 22.09 Non-feed cost/cwt $ 3.21 4.16 4.69 5.38 Total cost/cwt, $ 22.38 30.65 22.89 27.47 Nebraska (Farlin, 1973) No. of cattle 188 189 189 192 Days on feed 155 161 155 161 ADG, lb 2.45 1.97 2.37 2.07 DMI, lb/d 19.2 15.4 18.8 13.8 Feed/gain 7.94 7.82 1.97 6.65 Dressing percent 59.7 60.7 61.2 62.2 Missouri ( Sewell,1987) No. of cattle 8850 11693 5020 7622 Days on feed 121 122 116 114 ADG, lb 3.09 2.84 2.71 2.81 DMI, lb/d 20.8 21.6 19.70 20.4 Feed/gain 6.73 7.60 7.28 7.26 Feed cost/cwt, $ 46.00 49.00 49.00 47.00 Non-feed cost/cwt, $ 4.00 4.00 7.00 6.00 Total cost/cwt, $ 50.00 53.00 56.00 53.00 Michigan (Standorf et.al., 2001) No. of cattle 88 88 ADG, lb 2.95 3.09 DMI, lb/d 24.7 24.3 Feed/gain 8.3 75 Backfat, in..48.43 Choice, % 80 75